Emotional Eating

Overeaters Anonymous Offers Support for Emotional Eating

Overeaters Anonymous World Service Office

If you have struggled with your weight, you probably accept that you have a weight problem. But you may also have an eating problem. A key to maintaining a healthy weight is balance—in your diet and in your lifestyle. How and why you eat, however, can help determine if you have an eating problem.

Compulsive overeating, anorexia and other food issues are often triggered by emotions rather than hunger. The consequences of emotional eating run deeper than weight management. They impact your relationships, social life, self-image and overall health. Recovery requires more than willpower: it requires support to help you understand the links between your emotions and eating behavior.

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) offers a program of recovery from issues with food using a holistic approach that addresses individual physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Built on a Twelve Step program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous, OA offers social support, strength, encouragement and hope through meetings and other tools while respecting each other’s anonymity. There are no fees or dues—OA is supported by voluntary member contributions.

"For many members, OA is an excellent supplement to the professional healthcare services they receive," said Naomi Lippel, Managing Director for Overeaters Anonymous. "OA offers an ongoing support system and a program that has proven effective for thousands who have suffered from compulsive eating behaviors."

OA welcomes anyone suffering from an eating problem ranging from anorexia to binge-eating at any of its more than 7000 OA group meetings worldwide. For more information or to be put in contact with an OA representative, please call Tina Carroll at (636) 328-0216 or email her at media@oa.org.

About Overeaters Anonymous: Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. (OA), is a non-profit organization with the goal of supporting its members as they seek recovery from compulsive eating behaviors. More than fifty years since its founding, today OA serves approximately 54,000 members in over 75 countries. For more information, go to www.oa.org.